DESNZ has published a strategy for onshore wind that sets out over 40 actions to get onshore wind accelerating.

It hopes that it can unlock up to 10GW of onshore wind by resolving issues with how onshore wind turbines and aerospace civil and defence infrastructure co-exist, repowering the current fleet to make prolong its life and equipping planners and ensuring planning decisions are based on up-to-date information and ensuring site surveying and assessments for projects are more efficient to speed up decision-making.

Matthieu Hue, co-chair of the Onshore Wind Taskforce and CEO of EDF Power Solutions UK and Ireland, said: “This strategy is focusing on overcoming barriers and challenges we face across the industry in the deployment of onshore wind while capturing the major socio-economic benefits it can bring to the environment and to local economies.”

Communities are set to benefit with the voluntary community benefits guidance for onshore wind for England being updated to provide communities with £5,000 per MW per year for community initiatives, such as new football pitches or libraries, or even bill discount schemes. 

The measures come as the government has completed a process to de-risk offshore wind developments, led by the Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme, thus opening the potential for offshore wind development in the English sea in the future. 

---